Monday Night Debate: Who'll cover the spread?

Finally, a Monday Night Football game worth watching. In honor of the seemingly rare event, we’ve recruited the help of scholars for both the Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles to get us properly prepped to bet this baby.

Mike Burzawa of BearGogglesOn.com, a one-stop shop for all da superfans out dair, tackles our questions on Chicago, while Jim Kempski from the constantly updated Eagles blog BleedingGreenNation.com dishes the goods on Philly.

BEARS BREAKDOWNCovers.com staff: It seems like there are a few Bears (Lance Briggs, Matt Forte, etc.) vocally upset about their contract situations. Do you think it’s been a distraction to the team this season?BearGogglesOn.com: There is definitely a bad vibe around the team with some of the contract stuff, especially Forte's situation, but it hasn't found its way onto the field. Forte is having an All-Pro season and Briggs has quietly been leading the team in tackles. I give a lot of credit to head coach Lovie Smith and the veteran leaders on this team for separating the business side from the football side.CS: Chicago’s completely shut down the run game for opponents in its last two games. Is this stopper unit still one of the five best in the league or were Tampa Bay and Minnesota just favorable matchups?BGO: Tampa was beat up and essentially down to their third string running back most of the game, so I'll chalk that one up to a favorable matchup. Any time you go against Adrian Peterson, even if you know he's getting the ball, it's a tough matchup. He can make the best defenders look foolish, so I'll give credit to the Bears defense for shutting down Purple Jesus. I guess Monday night will be the tiebreaker against LeSean McCoy.

CS: Tell us why we shouldn’t worry about Chicago’s offensive line going against the Eagles pass rush.

BGO: I wish I could tell you that, but the Eagles defensive line scares the heck out of me. Cole and Babin could give the Bears tackles fits. The best thing the Bears can do to combat the aggressive Eagles defensive front is to run some quick hitting pass plays and screens to Matt Forte and 3-step drops by Cutler. If Mike Martz gets too pass happy with his usual 7-step drops going against the Eagles and their Wide 9 front and it could be a rough day for Jay Cutler.

Final score prediction: The Bears will keep it close, but in the end they don't have enough firepower to keep up with the high flying Eagles.

Eagles 23, Bears 17EAGLES BREAKDOWNCovers.com staff: It’s been asked about Andy Reid many times in the past, but we’ll ask again: Are the Eagles better off as a run-first offense?

BleedingGreenNation.com: The Eagles are the No. 1 ranked run offense in the league (just under 180 rushing yards per game), averaging more than 20 more yards per game than the next closest team (the Raiders). However, that's a smidge misleading. With Michael Vick averaging 60 rushing yards per game on what are called pass plays, "only" 120 of the 180 are coming on actual rushes.

Opposing teams are forced to give a ton of respect to the speed of DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin, and they've been showing a lot of soft, deep cover 2 looks, which has opened up enormous holes for LeSean McCoy in the run game. I don't think the Eagles need to have the mindset of being "run-first" or "pass-first." They do both extremely well, so they're in a position where they can take what the defense gives them and make them pay either way.

CS: There’s been a lot of talk about the adjustments made to the defensive line wide-9. Do you think it’s enough to make up for a weak linebacking group?

BGN: They've made two changes that I've seen. First, as you noted, the wide 9. In the wide 9, the two DEs line up far wide, outside the TE. It allows guys like Jason Babin and Trent Cole to attack the QB, but has left the defense vulnerable up the middle in the run game. They now only line up outside the TE on obvious passing downs, and have pinched in a bit otherwise. Secondly, the linebackers are lining up closer to the line of scrimmage.

Offensive linemen were previously getting to the second level and blowing the Eagles linebackers off the ball. By positioning the LBs closer to the LOS, the Eagles defensive unit has done a better job meeting opposing O linemen in the hole before they've been able to get a head of steam. The LBs, as you noted, aren't very good as a whole, but they've been vastly improved in the past two Eagles wins. CS: A lot of people are back on the Eagles bandwagon. Oddsmakers have the Eagles back as the favorites to win the NFC East and third faves – behind Green Bay and New Orleans – to win the conference. Do you think this is an overreaction or has this team really figured things out?

BGN: I think what people saw Sunday night was the Eagles’ "A" game. When the Eagles have their "A" game going, they can beat anybody, and that includes the Packers. It's just a matter of consistency. Obviously, they're loaded with talent. I don't think there's much to dispute there. Are they going to play like they did Sunday night every week? No. But are they an extremely dangerous team? You bet they are.Final score prediction: Eagles 27, Bears 16

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The Bears are healthy finally and have a full complement of wide receivers, including Devin Hester (not to mention his return threats). Chicago covers easily and may very well win the game outright.Also take the over as both teams light it up in perfect football weather conditions.
Don't forget that 11 of the 13 games yesterday went under. I'm not using that as a factor in my wagers, but just pointing it out to everyone.
Good luck all.
The Myth (over 50 years of betting football experience)

i am torn as to what i should pick in this matchup!!!! I want the eagles to cover the spread, but I doubt that will happen... leaning towards the points for BEARS....... WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE OVER UNDER???????

With playoff implications on the line, expect tight, low-scoring game between these two teams with hot goaltenders...

My free play is on Florida/Boston Under at 7:00 ET.

Boston has rebounded from a six-game losing streak by winning two games in a row after its 2-1 win in Carolina on Sunday. The Bruins return home where the Bruins are holding their opponents to only 2.3 goals per game which is a bit better than their 2.6 goals per game that they are giving up overall this season. Much of this improved play keeping the puck out of the net needs to be credited to goaltender Tuukka Rask who has been outstanding in front of his home fans this season. Rask owns a strong 2.04 goals against average along with a sizzling .930 save percentage when at home. The Bruins are clinging to the eighth and final spot in the Eastern Conference playoff hunt three points ahead of Ottawa and four points ahead of this Panthers team so the stakes remain very high for this veteran team. Rask may very well be playing his better goaltending at this point of the season as well. In his previous 12 starts this month, Rask has a 2.15 goals against average along with a .932 save percentage.

Florida has won four of its last six games as the Panthers make a late push to make the playoffs with their 4-2 win in Ottawa on Sunday. The Panthers stay on the road for this contest where they have seen the under go 7-3-3 in their last 13 contests away from home. The under is also 9-2-1 in their last 12 trips to Boston to face their Atlantic Division rivals. Florida's improved play as of late has much to do with the team’s improved play on defense as Florida is allowing only 2.2 goals per game over the last five games which is a significant improvement over its 2.7 goals per game seasonal average. Goaltender Roberto Luongo shook off a slow start this season to be the goalie the Panthers were hoping he would be when acquiring him in the offseason. Luongo has a 2.33 goals against average along with a .921 save percentage this year. Luongo has also heated up for Florida's playoff chase late this season as he owns a red hot 1.79 goals against average along with a .932 save percentage in his six starts this month. With playoff implications on the line, expect tight, low-scoring game between these two teams with hot goaltenders. Take the under.

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